Daviesia acicularis Smith (1805: 506)

Crisp, Michael D., Cayzer, Lindy, Chandler, Gregory T. & Cook, Lyn G., 2017, A monograph of Daviesia (Mirbelieae, Faboideae, Fabaceae), Phytotaxa 300 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

5. Daviesia acicularis Smith (1805: 506) , Bentham (1864: 81), Stanley & Ross (1983: 254), Crisp (1995: 1169), Crisp (2002: 527). Type: ‘Port Jackson, N.S. Wales, Mr. White, 1793’ Holotype: LINN; isotypes: BM, G (3 sheets), LIV

D. pungens A.Cunn. ex Bentham (1837b: 11) , nom. inval., given as a synonym of D. acicularis Sm. Type: Not designated.

Erect shrubs, 0.2–1 m high, glabrous to densely hispid on branchlets. Root anatomy normal (unistelar). Branchlets ascending, not spinescent, terete, ribbed. Phyllodes scattered, spreading and gently recurved, horizontally compressed or flattened but often appearing terete because of the revolute margins, linear, apex acuminate and pungent, margins with scattered teeth, base cuneate, articulate, 9–42 × 0.75–4 mm. Juvenile phyllodes obovate to elliptic, flat, hardly spinescent, (20–)25–65 × 3–10 mm for 3–4 nodes (though occasionally numerous) before grading into adult phyllodes. Unit inflorescences 1(2) per axil, 1-flowered; peduncle nil; subtending bracts ascending to appressed, oblong, ca. 1 mm long. Pedicel 1.5–2.5 mm long. Calyx 4–5 mm long including the 0.5– 0.75 mm receptacle; lobes equal, triangular, 1.5–3 mm long. Corolla : standard broadly elliptic, emarginate, 6.5–7 × 5–6 mm including the ca. 1 mm claw, adaxially (yellow-) orange with with dark red veins radiating from a ring surrounding the pale yellow centre, abaxially mostly dark red especially the veins, with a central yellow stripe; wings obovate, apex rounded, deeply auriculate, 5.5–6.5 × 1.5–2 mm including the 1.5–2 mm claw, orange with a central maroon stripe tapering towards apex; keel half transversely ovate, acute, slightly auriculate, slightly saccate,

A MONOGRAPH OF DAVIESIA

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CRISP ET AL.

5.5–6 × 1.5–1.75 mm including the ca. 2.5 mm claw, apically dark red, becoming paler and pink towards base. Stamens strongly dimorphic: inner whorl of 5 with longer, slender terete filaments and shorter, round, versatile anthers with confluent thecae; outer whorl of 5 with shorter, compressed filaments and longer, oblong, 2-celled, basifixed anthers; filaments free. Pod obliquely shallowly obtriangular with an acuminate apex and long, persistent style, 7–8 × 4.5–6 mm; upper suture sigmoid; lower suture acute. Seed globose, 3.5–4.3 mm long, 2.1–2.7 mm broad, 1.4–2 mm thick, light to dark brown with black mottling; aril 1.5–2 mm long. ( Fig. 6 ).

Flowering period:— August to November. Fruiting period: October to December.

Distribution:— Widespread in eastern Australia, from Tambo, central Queensland, south-west to the Charleville and Gilruth Plains area, and also along the coast and Great Dividing Range from Fraser Island (Queensland) south through New South Wales to the Victorian border.

Habitat:— Grows on a variety of substrates, from sand to clayey sand or occasionally loam on plains, undulating terrain or mountain ridges, in open forest dominated by Eucalyptus , or mixed forest of Eucalyptus and Callitris Ventenat (1808: 10) , or Triodia hummock grassland with Eucalyptus and Acacia .

Selected specimens (134 examined):— QUEENSLAND. Leichhardt: Expedition National Park , near Robinson Gorge, 25°18’S, 149°11’E, M . D. Crisp 11709, 17 August 2016 ( CANB, BRI). Maranoa: Moonee Highway, 29 km from Westmar , 27°59’S, 149°28’E, D. W . Shoobridge s.n., 30 September 1964 ( CBG 14288 ) .

Moreton: Redland Bay , 27°37’S, 153°18’E, C. E . & D.T. Woolcock s.n., 16 August 1980 ( CBG 8006125 ). NEW SOUTH WALES. North Coast: SW corner of Castlereagh State Forest, off The Northern Road , 33°41’S, 150°45’E, R . Coveny 11885 & S . Goodwin, 13 September 1984 ( CANB, NSW). North-west Slopes : 24 km from Coonabarabran on the Narrabri road, 31°05’S, 149°22’E, H . Streimann 635, 7 December 1973 ( A, CBG, K, L) .

Central Coast: Farm of Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, 33°36’S, 150°43’E, Anon. s.n., 30 September 1906 ( NSW 35616 ); Long Weeney Creek , 33°04’S, 150°38’E, C . Burgess s.n., 9 September 1961 ( CBG 7468 ). Central Tablelands: 6.5 km from Penrose along road to Bundanoon , 34°40’S, 150°16’E, M . D. Crisp 6790, 14 October 1980 ( CBG). Southern Tablelands: Braidwood to Nerriga road, 21 km from Braidwood , 35°15’S, 150°00’E, D. W . Shoobridge s.n., 28 October 1962 ( CBG 13044 ) . AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY. Black Mountain , lower E slopes, 35°16’S, 149°06’E, R . Pullen 1975, 13 November 1959 ( CANB) .

Affinity:— Daviesia acicularis is superficially similar to D. ulicifolia , though the toothed and usually recurved phyllode margins distinguish D. acicularis quite readily from D. ulicifolia . Occasionally, it has been confused with D. genistifolia , but the terete or vertically compressed phyllodes easily distinguish this species from D. acicularis .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Daviesia acicularis. A. Fruiting branchlet. B. Developmentally intermediate phyllode. C. Flower. D. Pod. A from Crisp 6790; B from Anon. (NSW 35616); C from Burgess s.n. (CBG 7468); D from Carolin 3880 (SYD). Drawn by B-J. Osborne.